Cryptanthus bivittatus 'Red Star' - Earth Star Plant
Sprouts of BristolThe Earth Star is a striking plant whose leaves form a star-like rosette. As it grows, new leaves sprout from the centre and the plant gets taller, growing multiple layers of star-shaped foliage! These leaves are stiff, like other Bromeliad species, but unlike some it needs to be watered from the roots rather than a central well. This variety's striped leaves are striking thanks to their bold red stripes, contrasting with the deep green stripes at the centre and edges of the leaves. It can grow well as a pot plant but, thanks to its love of humidity, will benefit from growing in a glass cabinet or terrarium, or in a group of plants where the humidity level will be higher.
Scientific Name
Cryptanthus bivittatus 'Red Star' (hidden flower, double banded, cultivar:red star)
Common Name
Red Star Earth Star, Red Star Starfish Plant, Red-Stripe Star, Earth Star Bromeliad
Origin
Native to Eastern Brazil
Light
Bright, indirect light will be best for this plant. It will benefit from the addition of some direct sun in autumn and winter, to help it through its natural winter dormancy.
Water
Allow the top third of the soil to dry out between waters, and reduce further in autumn and winter.
Humidity
It will accept average room humidity, but this plant will thrive in slightly higher humidity, and will benefit from the introduction of a pebble tray, or from being grown in a terrarium or with a group of plants to raise the humidity level. Avoid radiators which will dry the plant out far too quickly!
Soil
A quick-draining but moisture retentive soil will work well; add coir or a little grit alongside zeolite, or use a mix designed for syngoniums, for best results. Repot every two years in spring as the plant grows.
Food
Feed every four waters in the growing season, reduce to every six in autumn and winter.
Temperature
Ideal temperature is 18-30°C; make sure it does not get colder than 15°C in winter.
Pet-safe
Yes, but too much nibbling won't be good for pets, small humans or the plant! The leaves can also feel sharp, so watch your fingers.
Sprouts Top Tips
These plants can suffer from being overwatered if they are in a location with too little light, so keep an eye on both the water and light level to keep the plant happy. Signs of overwatering include yellowing of older leaves, while too little water can cause leaves to go brown and curl at the edges. If you're putting it in a brighter spot, it's a good idea to introduce it gradually so it gets used to the sun.
Important Information
If you have any questions, please check out the below or get in touch via our contact formWe're devoted to sending our customers quality plants with the best service around. Every plant is backed by our 7-day guarantee, so they arrive in good health.
Our team takes extra steps when prepping plants for transportation, but they're still sensitive to changes, so there may be minor cosmetic issues. We always aim to photograph and disclose any flaws before shipping, but a living creature travelling across the country in a box can take a hot minute to adjust to its new life.
If you have any issues within 7 days of receiving your order, holler at our customer support team on our contact form with your order details and some pics of the issue. After the guarantee has expired, though, we can't refund as we can't guarantee care and environmental factors. If you repot the plant during the 7 days, the guarantee is void.
We have been sending plants up and down the country for many year now and we like to think we have our way down to an art.
We protect the plant from falling out of the soil with tissue paper and tape if needed, then we wrap the plant in corrugated cardboard, and sometimes we protect the leaves with extra tissue paper if required. This is then placed into a box and if there is any empty space, we fill this with void fill to stop the plants moving around inside the box. Sometimes we will write a note on your packing slip to water the plant on arrival, so please look out for this. This is due a freshly watered plant going in a box will not only be soggy, but as the plant is in darkness this can sometimes make the plant unhappy when just freshly watered.
If your plant arrives to you unhappy, please send us a photo of the plant and packaging if relevant straight away, so we can advise you.
Online orders are packed and dispatched within a few days. Usually depending on volumes, we aim to get your order dispatched within 1 working day. We have collections from Royal Mail 6 days a week so deliveries tend to be speedy.
Our standard parcel delivery service is £4.99 for Royal Mail Tracked48, you can upgrade to Tracked24 for £2.50.
We do offer a Tracked48 Large Letter option for £2.99, and Tracked24 for £1 extra, but this only applies to products less than 2.5cm thick.
*Deliveries 7 days a week only included Tracked24 parcels.
Link to your shipping policy
We get a lot of boxes, packaging and whatnot at Sprouts from all our various supplier's deliveries. We re-use this packaging material where possible, plus we take in donations from local businesses and customers to our shop to avoid excess packaging going to landfill. Sometimes your delivery might look a little different, or come in a branded box from another company, but rest assured the items inside are carefully packed with love and attention inside. We use paper tape and all our branded materials included are fully recyclable. Sometimes we use polystyrene, bubble wrap or plastic wrap in the packaging, all these items are not new and where possible, please use them again.
We have partnered with Zedify to offer low-carbon deliveries in Central Bristol for £6.99.
Zedify collect and deliver orders from us Monday - Friday and will usually deliver your order the same day its collected. If you place your order before 11am, we will aim to get it collected the same day but this isnt always possible. When you have received your dispatch email, Zedify should be delivering your order the same day, anytime before 6pm.
We cannot give an idea of time, but if you would prefer delivery on a certain date (Monday - Friday) please get in touch or leave a note at check out with your preferred delivery date and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
Zedify deliver to the following postcodes BS1, BS2, BS3, BS4, BS5, BS6, BS7, BS8 (1, 2, 3A - 3N, 4), BS9 (1,3,4).
Select click and collect at checkout to collect your order from our Bristol shop.
You will get an email when your order is ready to collect, where possible please come and collect your order the same day as we have limited space. If you are going to collect your order at a later date, please let us know in the message box at check out so we know when to expect you. Some items such as gift sets, kits and pre-order items may not be ready to collect the same day, again please let us know what day you would like to collect and we will let you know if there's any issues.
We do not offer free returns, but if you are unhappy with your delivery, please get in touch. If your parcel or order has been damaged, please take photos and send these over to our team so we can look into this for you.
If you have ordered an item and you would like to exchange it, we should be able to do this for you. There may be an extra charge for delivery, but get in touch to discuss. For plants there is a 7 day return policy and 30 days for everything else, apart from sale items which are none returnable.
You can return or exchange in our Bristol shop for free.
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